Memes on elusive Belagavi leopard go viral, wild cat gets its own ‘Aadhaar’ card too!

BELAGAVI: The futile attempts to trap an elusive leopard which was first spotted at the Golf Course grounds here 22 days ago has sparked off a meme fest with even an ‘Aadhaar’ card being prepared in the name of the wild cat.

While there are memes of the leopard seemingly giving an interview saying that it likes Belagavi and is planning to bring its entire family here, the ‘Aadhaar’ card lists its name as Bibhatya Belgaumkar. The leopard’s ‘Aadhaar’ card has since gone viral.

There are also memes where the leopard declares that it won’t leave Belagavi, that the city belongs to the feline, and that it will not leave the city at least till the Ganesha Chaturthi festival next week, causing a laugh riot online.

Meanwhile, the search for the leopard continued even as 22 schools and colleges in a radius of 1 km around the Golf Course remain closed. The Forest Department has roped in elephants from the Sakrebail elephant camp for the ‘Operation Gajapade’ and also pig catchers from Hukkeri and JCBs to search a 250-acre area. Eight veterinarians are also involved.

Under ‘Operation Honeytrap’, the Forest Department is also using the urine of two female leopards from the Bhootaramanahatti mini zoo to draw the leopard. The urine is sprayed in the eight traps laid for the wild cat.